Caree Risover charts her retirement through planning to implementation and enjoyment.

INTRODUCTION

There seems to be a scarcity of UK retirement blogs out there (other than those proffering financial advice) and in the absence of my being able to read about other people's experiences, I instead offer you my own "Great Big Retirement Adventure."

My husband (Mister E) and I have moved from the initial concept through the planning stages to implementation and this site is intended to record the whole process. What I am seeking from retirement is now very different to what I thought I was planning and has gradually developed into a quest for fitness and a desire for simplification, with a transition away from both a highly organised lifestyle and the personality traits reflecting a pedantic professional career. Indeed I recently described myself as "a goofy idiot" who enjoys smiling at sunflowers; a far cry from the pre-retirement professional and an indication of just how far I have travelled.

Please visit from time to time and do add your comments. The blog is in reverse chronological order but popular posts and those highlighting our journey are specifically pinpointed below on the right hand side together with a list of topics covered. Alternatively you may prefer to look at the summary or wisdom we have acquired or even our have done list with its retirement atlas and dip in and out of the blog using the links given.

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Saturday, 6 May 2017

Toast

Whilst we were in Italy the Prime Minister decided to call a General Election after 6 months spent assuring everybody that she would do no such thing, and ruining any remaining credibility on her part in the process. Maybe it's a case of keeping up with the Joneses or in this case the Merkels and Hollandes, as France and Germany both go to the polls this year too. Alternatively, as suggested in many quarters, is it to deflect the potential for losing her majority in the House of Commons after files have been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service amid allegations that up to 20 Conservative MPs breached rules regarding local spending limits in the 2015 election?

Theresa May herself would like us to believe that it's so that the British people can give her a forceful mandate to argue the case for Brexit in negotiations with the EU. Bunkum; as she well knows, the Greeks tried this tactic when endeavouring to secure a monetary bailout and little good it did them.

In any event, the British electorate is surely somewhat fatigued with all this dashing to the polls. Since I retired and following on from European Parliament elections in May 2014, we've had the Scottish Indyref, the 2015 General Election, the Police and Crime Commissioner Elections, the Brexit referendum, local elections last week and now another General Election. What a waste of money in these times of austerity just to hear lies, spin and hot air.

Worse still and for the first time in my adult life, I'm not even sure which particular party I want to vote for. The Tories, led by May, have morphed into nasty UKIP adopting much of its rhetoric and rendering it obsolete. The Labour Party, with many supporters doing it proud in the referendum by voting to remain in Europe, has failed to provide any inspirational opposition to the Government and has efficently supported it in triggering Article 50, hastening our exit from the European Union. The Scottish Nationalists led by Angus Robertson at Westminster have been the most effective party in opposing the Government but when you live in Yorkshire there's no possibility of casting a vote in their favour. The Liberal Democrats, wiped out after forming a coalition government with the Conservatives and reneging on their promise to abolish student tuition fees, are attempting to make a come-back by appealing to Remainers and continuing to oppose Brexit; they could almost sound appealing if sadly there wasn't a big trust issue there. I guess that finally leaves the Greens, hot on the environment with the kind of progressive ideas you would expect from a party that has only ever managed to gain one seat in Parliament and, therefore, no prospect of forming a realistic Opposition let alone a Government.

Nobody seems to have any policies or realistic ideas as to where they are taking the country. Whilst the Tories indulge in base propaganda techniques and sublimial brainwashing with their "Brexit means Brexit," "will of the people" and "strong and stable" slogans (if the latter were even true, why would they need to hold a snap election?), the Labour Party promises us four extra Bank Holidays. I mean: really?

There's a genuine danger here of a very low turn out; a large majority for the most right wing Government I can ever recall; the loss of yet more public services and a hard Brexit leaving our economy reeling and hardship for millions. Nobody fit to govern? We still have to make sure there's a substantive oppositon to prevent the excesses that will otherwise occur.

What a shambles. I don't want to feel depressed in retirement but whichever way you look at it, I can't help thinking that we are toast.

PS If you haven't registered to vote you have until 22 May - click here

Here in Canada we have the same problems whether we vote Liberal or Conservative. I am just so fed up with the whole thing. It's such a racket - promise the moon pre-election, oops, can't deliver post-election.

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Angel of the North

Angel of the North by sculptor Sir Antony Gormley is a regional landmark and significant as a focus for evolving hopes and fears. It is an apt inclusion for this blog which explores my own dreams and trepidations.